Bees Make Elephants Beat It

I took this photograph not using a telephoto lens, and not using angry bees for protection. But there was a 5 meter high electrified concrete and steel fence.

But for how long? Consider this report on PhysOrg:

Elephants’ fear of angry bees could help to protect them from PhysOrg.com
At a time when encroaching human development in former wildlife areas has compressed African elephants into ever smaller home ranges and increased levels of human-elephant conflict, a study in the October 9th issue of Current Biology suggests that strategically placed beehives might offer a low-tech elephant deterrent and conservation measure.

In the experimental study, elephants ignored white noise, but within ten seconds of hearing angry bees, they ran away. So this — the strategic placement of bee hives — is now being considered a method of keeping elephants away from human farms and settlement areas.

Great. But there are two problems.

1) You’ve got bees everywhere; and

2) The moment one elephant figures out that it is a trick, she will inform the other elephants, and very soon this form of elephant repellent will stop working. Indeed, I further predict that it will not take long for the elephants to start harvesting the honey, on their way to a village-crushing foray or perhaps on the way back, as dessert.

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